Why do we stand for it?

Wednesday I went for dinner at Deli Kasbah in Manhattan. The food was ok BUT. When I ordered a turkey sandwich in came wrapped in paper so cold that it was clear that the sandwich had been made earlier and placed in the refrigerator. It seemed to be a take out order placed on a plate.. A small plastic container containing mustard was on the plate. The baked potato that was included was brown inside and out. Why does a Glatt kosher place believe that this is acceptable? I know this is not a fancy restaurant, but when you charge $17.95 for a sandwich it should be served as if it were being eaten in a restaurant rather than a park. I expect the tvs with the Rebbe, because this is what the place is about. That they are able to remain in business with this type of service is beyond me. I will not be returning, but why do we stand for it?

I don't stand for it. Especially today when money is tight I hardly go to eat anymore, and when I do it is someplace where I know the food will be good. I will pretty much give all kosher places one try but that's it. If I am served garbage I won't go back (and I will usually say something to the manager).

Gone are the days (especially in NY) of having to deal with horrible service and mediocre food just because you eat kosher. A lot of places have closed over the past two years, hopefully owners are getting the picture.

First of all that is not acceptable in any restaurant kosher or not. I would have returned it, talked to the manager,etc. If you don't talk to the owner they do not know what it going on and cannot rectify the problems.I live in Los Angeles, keep a kosher house, but eats out. I have tried to patronize the kosher restaurants, but they for the most part are really bad and very expensive. It seems like the people out here in the past really don't patronize or want good restaurants. They seem to go to lower end ones, like pizza and hot dogs, etc. One restaurant just closed and I went after it first opened hoping it would be great. It was okay and very expensive. One of the reasons I thought this place might work, is that I knew the chef from a non-kosher restaurant that made incredible food and still does. From people that I know, one of the biggest problems that I see is that the people here don't recognize certain kosher certifications. It's not necessarily that they don't trust the certification, but the Rabbi's want their own. Everyone has to have their own, it has become very political and money making.

I do agree that there are some issues with the Hechsher world, and politics and money being a major player in it, however I don't think that causes restaurants to act sub-par. I think the problem is with us, like you said most kosher people really only care about pizza and lesser types of foods, where it's understood that you're not there for the dining experience, but rather the food.I think only in recent years are kosher people starting to appreciate good food and good restaurants, and it will take some time for restaurants to adjust their outlook.I live in Baltimore, and there are a ton of Kosher people here, but the "classiest" restaurant here is a chinese place, and it's not that nice...if you want a really good steak house, we have to drive an hour to Pomegranate, which is awesome. And I think the reason is, because 90% of the people who live down here, don't really go out to eat that much, and couldn't care less if today's special was yesterday's leftovers. That's also why we have only one supermarket, and it's really not that good, especially in the meat dep't....but don't get me started...

No its not. In a crappy restaurant maybe, but certainly not anywhere half decent. The fact that you think this is exactly the point of the discussion, that we don't believe we can do better. There are a significant number of people in my community who didn't grow up frum and began to keep strictly kosher later in life. I often wonder why those people don't speak up about how awful the kosher restaurants are compared to the decent non kosher ones and use their experience to push for higher standards. No one, that I know of, would ever eat at any of the kosher restaurants here unless they were strictly kosher or dining with someone who is, because all of the options are really unappealing when you have other choices.

As long as you continue to patronize establishments that treat customers with contempt then this will continue. Vote with your wallet. I live in Chicago which has a paucity of good Kosher establishments. The truly awful ones don't last long. The mediocre ones stay open because their patrons don't know any better. There are a few good ones and they generally get my money.

Folks, just a reminder that we try to keep things focused on discussing which kosher chow is or isn't delicious. The politics of certifications and other larger issues are really off-topic for our site.

I had one really bad experience in a restaurant that refused to make a substitution for me - and before any chowhounders jump down my throat on the controversy of restaurant substitutions, I was asking for plain (dry, undressed) lettuce in lieu of the sauteed veggies side (I was pregnant at the time and the sauteed veggies were nausea-inducing). I never went back to that restaurant again. I patronize the restaurants that prove themselves deserving of patronage - I work too hard for my money to throw it away at places undeserving of it.